Wearable articles, such as absorbent, disposable diapers for infants and small children and adult incontinence products, have long been known in the art. These articles are designed to absorb and contain body exudates such as urine and fecal matter. Ideally these products fit snugly and prevent leakage of exudates.
Typically, conventional diaper products for infants and small children have included a front waist portion, and a rear waist portion which are releasably connected about the hips of the user during use by fasteners such as adhesive tape fasteners or hook and loop type fasteners. Commonly such diapers are applied by laying the baby on its back, positioning the diaper between the baby's legs and fastening the fasteners about the waist.
More recently, there have been several prior art disposable absorbent articles of the “pull-on” or “pants” type. These articles are typically placed on a user in a closed waist configuration, and therefore are designed to be pulled up over the hips and buttocks of the user into position around the waist and between the legs. Ideally, application would be substantially accomplished by the child, however these articles are typically applied at least partially by the caregiver due to the difficulty involved. A caregiver will often perform or assist in one or more of the following actions: (1) threading the user's legs through leg holes in the article; (2) pulling the article over the user's hips and buttocks; and (3) correcting or adjusting the fit of the article once it is in position. Typically, such pull-on articles have a stretchable portion, such as a stretchable side panel which expands to allow the article to be pulled over the hips and then elastically retracts to provide a conforming fit of the article. A variation of the pull-on articles includes refastenable seamed areas, such as refastenable side seams. While these alternative articles may be opened by unfastening the seams, they are typically intended to be applied to a user while in the closed configuration, and therefore include a stretchable portion as noted above.
Pull-on absorbent articles are often intended for use by children as they transition from wearing conventional diapers to underwear. As children grow and develop, they achieve the capability to dress themselves. Young children and babies, especially once they begin walking, commonly wear pull-on diapers and/or training pants, which are typically easier for a user to apply and remove in a standing position, and therefore emulate underwear.
It is desirable for pull-on diapers and training pants to facilitate the overall dressing learning process by making it easier for the child to successfully apply a pull-on product. Due to physiological, psychological, or other factors, most children, particularly in the 12-30 month age range, are naturally inclined to grab the most easily visible and accessible portion of the pull-on product, which is the front waist region. Because the pull-on article must be pulled over the buttocks and hips, the tendency to pull at the front of the product often leads to failure and frustration because this action increases the circumferential tension in the back of the diaper, causing it to lodge tightly at the bottom of the buttocks. Further, no vertical tension is applied to the area that could dislodge the article, which is the back waist region of the article. Accordingly, it is more advantageous for the child to grasp and pull the product from the sides, thereby distributing vertical pulling force to both the front and back regions.
It is advantageous, therefore, to provide a pull-on article that encourages grasping at the sides during use. U.S. Pat. No. 6,702,795 to Klemp proposes a disposable absorbent article with stretchable side waist regions marked with decorative or instructional printing. The side waist regions have a contracted configuration but are stretchable to an extended configuration. Klemp discloses that decorative or instructional printing is applied to the side waist regions such that the printing is most observable in the extended configuration (i.e., when worn on the waist) but is less observable and unobscured in the contracted configuration (i.e., when not worn on the waist). The printing disclosed in Klemp, however, may be especially difficult to see in certain conditions commonly encountered in the application process—e.g., low or uneven lighting conditions, poor viewing angle (such as at a shallow angle of a wearer looking down at their hips/legs, etc.). Furthermore, Klemp generally discloses “decorative or instructional printing” and specifically shows words printed on the article. A pre-literate child, however, would not understand such printing, nor does it appear the printing instructs a user how to perform an activity or task with the article. Consequently, a need exists for a pull-on wearable article that includes a clear and distinct image for suitably instructing a child in the use of the article. In particular, there is a need for an article to quickly and unerringly convey visual messages, instructions, or cues in a manner that is understandable to and responsive by a pre-literate child.